Leeds United have liked Stade Rennais forward Martin Terrier for a ‘long, long time’, according to CBS reporter Ben Jacobs.
The Whites have been credited with an interest in the 25-year-old throughout the summer but are yet to make a formal approach for him as Jesse Marsch continues to search for attacking reinforcements.
What is the latest news involving Terrier?
Last month, French outlet L’Equipe (via TEAMtalk) reported that Leeds were keen to snap up Terrier after missing out on Club Brugge striker Charles De Ketelaere to Serie A champions AC Milan.
The Athletic’s Phil Hay also disclosed that the former France Under-21 international is on the west Yorkshire outfit’s radar and is expected to cost any potential suitor around £30 million.
Leeds had also been heavily linked with a move for Arnaud Kalimuendo before the Paris Saint-Germain academy graduate completed a switch to Rennais instead.
However, Marsch could now raid the Ligue 1 outfit for their prized asset instead, finally adding the strength in depth up front that he desires due to Patrick Bamford’s ongoing injury issues.
The one-cap England international only started seven Premier League games last season due to various fitness struggles, and he had to be substituted after just 28 minutes last time out against Southampton due to a fresh problem.
What has Jacobs said about Terrier?
Jacobs informed GiveMeSport that Leeds have ‘done a lot of analysis’ on Terrier, who has been on their radar for a significant amount of time.
In an interview with GMS, he said: “Terrier is the one that Leeds have kind of liked for a long, long time.
“And whilst looking at Kalimuendo, they were concurrently determining whether there was any possibility of signing him. And they've tracked him for a long time, they've put in a lot of work, they've done a lot of analysis.”
Would Terrier be a good signing?
Terrier, who is comfortable playing on the left-wing or upfront, enjoyed the most productive season of his career so far last time out, registering 21 goals and seven assists in 45 appearances.
And the 6 foot ace also produced some impressive underlying numbers after firing his side to a fourth-placed finish in the Ligue 1 standings.
As per FBref, Terrier ranked in the 94th percentile for non-penalty expected goals, 92nd for aerial duels won, 91st for total shots, 85th for touches in the attacking penalty area and the 82nd for progressive passes received amongst his positional peers over the last year.
Those figures indicate that Terrier could be a valuable addition to Leeds, providing some overdue cover and competition for Bamford.